Metachronous neurohypophyseal germinoma occurring 8 years after total resection of pineal mature teratoma.
BACKGROUND
Metachronous germ cell tumor in the central nervous system is extremely rare. To our knowledge, only one patient presenting conceivable metachronous intracranial germ cell tumor has been reported.


METHODS
A neurohypophyseal germinoma occurring 8 years after total resection of a pineal mature teratoma is presented. The patient underwent total resection of a large pineal mass in 1987. Histologic investigation revealed a mature teratoma without any immature or germinomatous components. In 1995, he developed diabetes insipidus. Magnetic resonance imaging depicted an intrasellar mass extending to the floor of the third ventricle. A transsphenoidal biopsy revealed histologically pure germinoma.


CONCLUSIONS
The second neurohypophyseal germinoma was considered to be a de novo metachronous neoplasm rather than a recurrence of the original mature teratoma.
Ikeda
J
J
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Hokkaido School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
Sawamura
Y
Y
Kato
T
T
Abe
H
H
D000293:Adolescent; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D018237:Germinoma; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000601:surgery*; D010904:Pituitary Gland, Posterior; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms; D013724:Teratoma / Q000601:surgery*